Beddingfield hoping to challenge in Eastern Plains

The Washington Pam-Pack won the Eastern Plains conference last season in their first year moving down from 3-A to 2-A. It wouldn’t be a surprise to see them repeat the feat in year two. The team has several all-conference selections back, including Markel Spencer, who rushed for 1,936 yards and 17 touchdowns.

The Beddingfield Bruins, who finished second to Washington in 2013, should be back near the top of the league with important players returning. Quarterback Kavajae Chatman is back. He threw for 2,158 yards and 24 touchdowns last year, with 531 yards and eight touchdowns on the ground.

One of his favorite targets—Javius Nixon—is back as well. He was an all-conference player with 894 yards and 13 touchdowns while making 43 tackles on defense. A pair of defensive players in Coyee Farmer and Jalen Honey bring back more than 150 combined tackles from last year.

Farmville Central returns the bulk of a team that finished 8-3 last year, with nine returning starters on offense and ten on defense. An important one is lineman E.J. Scott. The 6-foot-4, 255 pound player was all-conference in 2013.

Southwest Edgecombe lost most of its defense but kept most of its offense. Barry Smith and Devontrell Hyman ran for more than 1,300 combined yards last year as the Cougars finished 5-7. All-around athlete Marcus Williams accounted for 12 touchdowns during his sophomore year, and he’ll be back as a junior.

Former Triton head coach Ashley Ennis comes to North Johnston after the Panthers suffered a winless season in 2013. He will need to build up his new program in a hurry to play at the level he’s used to. Ennis’ team does have size along its offensive line that should help move the ball in the Wing-T offense.

Returning players for North Pitt will ensure the conference is strong from top to bottom.